My mom was an amazing cook! She would make wonderful meals and invite friends and family over - there's no way anyone would say no. The connotative meaning of "Nỗi Lòng Của Mẹ" is "the rising a mother's heart" - rising the way bread dough rises and fills its enclosure - which is fitting because this is how she expressed the enormity of her love for us. Birthdays were always our favorite foods, weekend meals meant my mother getting up at 4:00AM so that we'd have a big, steaming pot of her homemade pho waiting when we finally woke up. I was a super finicky eater, so my mom would make things one way for everyone else, then a different way just for me. (She'll be happy to know that I'm serving my penance for that when I cook for Nora and Eddie.)
I loved helping my mom cook - all my kitchen habits come from years of watching her work her magic in the kitchen....well, except the habit I have of using every pot in the house. I'm posting all of her recipes essentially to keep them safe. It's a combination of googling and memories - google to find several versions of the basic recipe and adding memories of my mom in. Here is the first of her recipes.
Banh Pate Chaud - a vietnamese puffed pastry stuffed with seasoned, ground pork, shrimp and mushrooms (or any combination). It makes for a delicious and addicting appetizer or snack! Traditionally the recipe calls for adding 2 T of pate (liver), but none of the kids liked the flavor so my mom added shrimp...or just made plain pork.
2 boxes of frozen puff pastry (my mother, of course, made her own puff pastry...but later on, even she admitted the frozen stuff was just as tasty and a million times more convenient)
1 lb lean ground pork
1/2 lb ground shrimp (fresh crab meat is delicious too!)
1/2 c chopped wood ear mushrooms (or shitake)
2-3 T spns of fish sauce (all of these measurements are approximate)
1-2 T spn of soy sauce
2-3 shallots minced
2-3 T spns of sugar
1/2 t spn of salt
fresh ground pepper
1 egg
butter
- In a large bowl, add the ground pork, shrimp and mushrooms and season the meat with all of the ingredients above (except the puff pastry). Once all of the ingredients are added, with your hands you want to mush all of the ingredients together until all of the seasoning is evenly spread throughout. Hands are very important - it's very difficult to get everything evenly seasoned with a utensil.
- After it is well mixed, divide and shape roughly into 12 (or however many pastries you're making) semi-flat balls. (I will come back and post pictures when I make this Thursday morning for TDay). If the size of the meatballs are large, you should first steam them in a bamboo steamer for about 15 minutes to ensure thorough cooking.
- With a cookie/biscuit cutter or a cup, cut the puffed pastry in circles that will fit the meatballs. Place one of the meatballs in the circle and place another circle on top. My mom would put a round collar in between the 2 circles so that they would puff higher (I'm going to try that).
- Press the edges of the puffed pastry together with a fork to seal. Brush the bottoms with melted butter and the top with an egg wash.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown and puffed.
ENJOY!!! (will edit to add pictures)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Kristin's Perfect Pot Roast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
I'm not joking - this is like crack in a crockpot. In Kristin's own words:
Yankee Pot Roast
- 1 roast (whatever cut you like)
- carrots (however many you like, I just used baby carrots- about a half a big bag, I was also thinking parsnips would be good in this too...)
- 1 onion, chopped
3/4 - 1 cup beef broth (depending on the size of the roast)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbl dried parsley flakes (you can use fresh to but I did not have any on hand)
salt and cracked pepper (not sure how much I put in- maybe about a tsp of each??)
Sear roast in a little bit of olive oil and then just put everything in the crock pot to cook all day. (I added carrots part way through cooking time) I am sure that this would be good in the oven as well- whatever you want to use. I love the crock pot though because you do not have to babysit it and it comes out sooo tender!
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (I liked them so much when you made them that I tried them out myself!) got the recipe from this website: http://www.mashed-potatoes-recipe.com/garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/ I just did not add the parsley like the recipe said- probably would be good though
- 3 pounds russet or yukon gold potatoes
- 1 whole bulb garlic
-1/2 cup half and half (half milk half cream) (I did not have cream so I just used whole milk)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Bring potatoes to a boil then reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put them back on the stove for a few minutes, don’t burn them. After that, set them aside and not it’s time to move our attention to garlic. While the potatoes are boiling and simmering we will take the garlic bulb and cut the top of the whole garlic head. Oh, the garlic is still un-peeled, you don’t need to peel it. Now put the garlic into a heat resistant pan and cover it with drops of olive oil. Take some aluminum foil and cover the garlic (so it doesn’t burn) and put it into the oven.
How long does it take for garlic to bake? About the same time that it takes the potatoes to cook so you can do this simultaneously. Garlic is baked when is soft and as I said it will take about 20 minutes.
When the garlic is done let it cool down a bit, then squeeze the garlic out of it’s clothes with a fork and add it to the potatoes. (I put the garlic through a garlic press so it would be really fine). Now we are back on the old tracks. Mince the parsley and also add it to the potatoes, also add some pepper for the taste and some salt (if necessary) and mash the potatoes.
Heat cream, milk and butter and mix them into the potatoes. You could also do this before you mash the potatoes and garlic, maybe it tastes better if you do it after, but I don’t think so.
Yankee Pot Roast
- 1 roast (whatever cut you like)
- carrots (however many you like, I just used baby carrots- about a half a big bag, I was also thinking parsnips would be good in this too...)
- 1 onion, chopped
3/4 - 1 cup beef broth (depending on the size of the roast)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbl dried parsley flakes (you can use fresh to but I did not have any on hand)
salt and cracked pepper (not sure how much I put in- maybe about a tsp of each??)
Sear roast in a little bit of olive oil and then just put everything in the crock pot to cook all day. (I added carrots part way through cooking time) I am sure that this would be good in the oven as well- whatever you want to use. I love the crock pot though because you do not have to babysit it and it comes out sooo tender!
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (I liked them so much when you made them that I tried them out myself!) got the recipe from this website: http://www.mashed-potatoes-recipe.com/garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/ I just did not add the parsley like the recipe said- probably would be good though
- 3 pounds russet or yukon gold potatoes
- 1 whole bulb garlic
-1/2 cup half and half (half milk half cream) (I did not have cream so I just used whole milk)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Bring potatoes to a boil then reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put them back on the stove for a few minutes, don’t burn them. After that, set them aside and not it’s time to move our attention to garlic. While the potatoes are boiling and simmering we will take the garlic bulb and cut the top of the whole garlic head. Oh, the garlic is still un-peeled, you don’t need to peel it. Now put the garlic into a heat resistant pan and cover it with drops of olive oil. Take some aluminum foil and cover the garlic (so it doesn’t burn) and put it into the oven.
How long does it take for garlic to bake? About the same time that it takes the potatoes to cook so you can do this simultaneously. Garlic is baked when is soft and as I said it will take about 20 minutes.
When the garlic is done let it cool down a bit, then squeeze the garlic out of it’s clothes with a fork and add it to the potatoes. (I put the garlic through a garlic press so it would be really fine). Now we are back on the old tracks. Mince the parsley and also add it to the potatoes, also add some pepper for the taste and some salt (if necessary) and mash the potatoes.
Heat cream, milk and butter and mix them into the potatoes. You could also do this before you mash the potatoes and garlic, maybe it tastes better if you do it after, but I don’t think so.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Parsnips, Carrots and Leeks Gratin
My very good friend, Beej, made this for a Thanksgiving dinner we attended. It was soooooooo amazingly good - one of those things I couldn't stop eating despite my intolerance for dairy.
2 tablespoons butter (I add 2 T of olive oil too so the butter won't burn)
2 - 3 shallots, finely sliced (this is my own addition)
2 pounds leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lenthwise, rinsed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1½ pounds large carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices
1½ pounds large parsnips, peeled, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
2½ cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
- Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and leeks and sauté until soft and beginning to color, about 15 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
- Cook carrots and parsnips in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well; place in bowl with leeks.
- Whisk cream, sage, mustard, salt and pepper to blend in medium bowl. Pour cream mixture over vegetables and stir gently to combine.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over. Cover dish with foil. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.)
- Bake gratin 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until vegetables are tender, top is golden brown and cream is thickened, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve hot.
2 tablespoons butter (I add 2 T of olive oil too so the butter won't burn)
2 - 3 shallots, finely sliced (this is my own addition)
2 pounds leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lenthwise, rinsed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1½ pounds large carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices
1½ pounds large parsnips, peeled, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
2½ cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
- Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and leeks and sauté until soft and beginning to color, about 15 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
- Cook carrots and parsnips in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well; place in bowl with leeks.
- Whisk cream, sage, mustard, salt and pepper to blend in medium bowl. Pour cream mixture over vegetables and stir gently to combine.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over. Cover dish with foil. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.)
- Bake gratin 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until vegetables are tender, top is golden brown and cream is thickened, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Most Homemadest Lasagna I've Ever Made
This is not to say that everything about this lasagna is homemade. The sausage is courtesy of Colosimo's and the noodle are Barilla's homestyle (read: flat) rustic noodles. I am typing this without the luxury of having tasted it, so I'm just guessing how that will turn out...but it smells pretty darn good! It is freaking FANTASTIC!!!
3 cloves garlic
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef (I used 91/9 lean:fat ratio)
1/2 lb Italian sausage (I use Colosimo's red wine sausage, remove casings - mmmmmm)
1/2 t. ground fennel
1/2 t. basil
salt & pepper
1 qt jar + 1 pint jar marinara sauce (Susan's Magic Sauce per previous post)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb sliced mushrooms (I use button & cremini mix)
shredded mozzarella
shredded parmesan
- Soak the noodles in hot water while you do the rest (I usually use Barilla's rustic no cook noodles, if you use these, they do not need to be soaked).
- Saute garlic and onion until tender and translucent. Add ground beef, sausage, fennel and basil (also some salt/pepper to taste) and cook until done. Remember to constantly break up the chunks of meat...unless you like big chunks of tough meat. Add the marinara, let simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the marinara is simmering, mix ricotta with egg and Italian seasoning, a handful of mozerella and parmesan, set aside.
Assembly:
- meat sauce
- noodles
- ricotta mix ("painted on" is the phrase used from the Peanut Gallery)
- mushrooms
- mozerella/parmesan
-------------------------
- meat sauce
- noodles
- ricotta mix
- mushrooms
- shredded mozzarella/parmesan
-------------------------
- meat sausce
- noodles
- mushrooms
- meat sauce
- mozzarella/parmesan (lots of it - no...really, LOTS of it)
Baked at 350 for 40 minutes (with foil on), then another 15 minutes without to brown the cheese on top.Let's hope it's as good as this post makes it sound! Really, it is that good!
3 cloves garlic
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef (I used 91/9 lean:fat ratio)
1/2 lb Italian sausage (I use Colosimo's red wine sausage, remove casings - mmmmmm)
1/2 t. ground fennel
1/2 t. basil
salt & pepper
1 qt jar + 1 pint jar marinara sauce (Susan's Magic Sauce per previous post)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb sliced mushrooms (I use button & cremini mix)
shredded mozzarella
shredded parmesan
- Soak the noodles in hot water while you do the rest (I usually use Barilla's rustic no cook noodles, if you use these, they do not need to be soaked).
- Saute garlic and onion until tender and translucent. Add ground beef, sausage, fennel and basil (also some salt/pepper to taste) and cook until done. Remember to constantly break up the chunks of meat...unless you like big chunks of tough meat. Add the marinara, let simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the marinara is simmering, mix ricotta with egg and Italian seasoning, a handful of mozerella and parmesan, set aside.
Assembly:
- meat sauce
- noodles
- ricotta mix ("painted on" is the phrase used from the Peanut Gallery)
- mushrooms
- mozerella/parmesan
-------------------------
- meat sauce
- noodles
- ricotta mix
- mushrooms
- shredded mozzarella/parmesan
-------------------------
- meat sausce
- noodles
- mushrooms
- meat sauce
- mozzarella/parmesan (lots of it - no...really, LOTS of it)
Baked at 350 for 40 minutes (with foil on), then another 15 minutes without to brown the cheese on top.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Susan Sanderson's Marinara Sauce
This is an ALL DAY activity, so bring out a good book and send the kiddies to the neighbor's to play. Time consuming and messy (think Tomato Graffiti), but so very worth it! Padded shoes are in order...really, your feet will hurt!
12 qts. ground tomatoes - for all of you wondering how many fresh off the vine, peeled, pulverized tomatoes that is: LOTS. LOTS and LOTS and LOTS. Think in terms of bushels....and don't pick your own in 90+ degree weather.
- peel the tomatoes and puree them
- pour the pureed tomatoes into a LARGE (10 quarts or so) pot
- cook on medium heat, until the sauce has reduced by 1/4
7-10 onions (I use 7 large onions or 10 medium ones), pureed
10-12 cloves garlic, pressed
- add garlic and pureed onions to tomatoes
- let the sauce reduce again
2 c sugar
4 T salt
12 HEAPING (I mean it) T dried oregano
6 HEAPING T dried basil
3 HEAPING T dried thyme
6 bay leaves
- Add all the spices/herbs to the sauce
- let the sauce reduce again
3 twelve ounce cans of tomato paste
- let the sauce reduce again
To make the sauce smoother and less chunky, use an immersion blender to puree it further. Ladel in the prepared canning jars and seal
12 qts. ground tomatoes - for all of you wondering how many fresh off the vine, peeled, pulverized tomatoes that is: LOTS. LOTS and LOTS and LOTS. Think in terms of bushels....and don't pick your own in 90+ degree weather.
- peel the tomatoes and puree them
- pour the pureed tomatoes into a LARGE (10 quarts or so) pot
- cook on medium heat, until the sauce has reduced by 1/4
7-10 onions (I use 7 large onions or 10 medium ones), pureed
10-12 cloves garlic, pressed
- add garlic and pureed onions to tomatoes
- let the sauce reduce again
2 c sugar
4 T salt
12 HEAPING (I mean it) T dried oregano
6 HEAPING T dried basil
3 HEAPING T dried thyme
6 bay leaves
- Add all the spices/herbs to the sauce
- let the sauce reduce again
3 twelve ounce cans of tomato paste
- let the sauce reduce again
To make the sauce smoother and less chunky, use an immersion blender to puree it further. Ladel in the prepared canning jars and seal
Friday, June 26, 2009
Shanghai Noodles
Summer is a great time! June - October, to be exact...FARMER'S MARKET!!! I went on Saturday and found some delicious treasures:- fresh made shanghai noodles
- snap peas
- shiitake and beech mushrooms
- snap peas
- shiitake and beech mushrooms
Mmmmmmmm...I'm thinking stirfried shanghai noodles with prawns!!!! My own 'house special', if you will.
1 lb shanghai noodles, blanched
1 lb prawns (I use 15-20 count)
1 lb snap peas, blanched (they should still be crispy)
1 lb mushrooms (use your favorites, but know that some mushrooms - such as portabellas - are too strong in flavor to use in stirfry. I used a combination of shiitake and beech)
1/2 small head of cabbage, sliced (not too thinly)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 sliced onion
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 sliced onion
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1-2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoons sugar
Canola oil
Black pepper to taste
Canola oil
Black pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix shrimp, cornstarch, coriander and sesame oil. Set aside. In a hot wok, coat with canola oil, and quickly scramble the eggs (note: I usually make thin egg crepes and slice them fine rather than scramble, but either method is fine). Remove eggs from heat and set aside. Stir-fry the shrimp for only 2 minutes keeping them rare. Set aside. In the same wok, add a little more oil and caramelize garlic, ginger and onions. Add cabbage, chicken stock and oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar - cook until softened. Add mushrooms. Add noodles, peas, eggs and shrimp. Toss to heat through. Season with black pepper (I like to garnish with cilantro sprigs). Serve!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Chicken Pesto with Penne
This one passes muster - have tried it twice...with success! Penne, linguine, fettucine...a good pasta that will hold the creamy pesto.
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c pesto sauce (recipe from November 20, 2008) - you can add more if that's your preference
shredded roasted chicken (I use Costco - it can't be beat!)
1 lb penne (or your pasta of choice...just don't use angel hair, it's too light), cooked
shredded asiago and parmesan cheese, (about 3 T. each)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c pesto sauce (recipe from November 20, 2008) - you can add more if that's your preference
shredded roasted chicken (I use Costco - it can't be beat!)
1 lb penne (or your pasta of choice...just don't use angel hair, it's too light), cooked
shredded asiago and parmesan cheese, (about 3 T. each)
salt and pepper to taste
- Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet, add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add shredded chicken, pesto and cream and cook until heated through, add salt and pepper. Add pasta and toss to coat with the sauce, let it heat so the sauce thickens and absorbs in the pasta. Turn off heat and add the cheese - toss well to mix.
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